Bottle cap and means for making the same



NOV. 26, 1940. J G, KEMPE 2,223,321

BOTTLE CAP AND MEANS FOR MAKING THE SAME Filed April 15, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet l WITNE 5 5 Nov. 26, 1940. KEMPE 2,223,321

BOTTLE GAP AND MEANS FOR MAKING THE SAME I Filed April 15,1955 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I Q i 4.5

E. 4 3G 45 ,8 y T Q//- 39 47 49 43 ,JJ r 38 WITNESS I Nov. "1940 UNITEDSTATES, PATENT OFFICE John a. Kempe, Oneida, N. in, "am; to Smith- Lee00., Inc., Oneida, N. Y., a corporation of New York I a ApplicationApril 15, 1935, Serial N0. 16,316

' 10 Claims. (Cl 215-38) This invention relates to an improved bottlecap. The cap of this invention is adapted more particularly for use inconnection with a conventionally constructed milk bottle or the like 5and is of the hood or semi-hood type embodying a bottle seat or plugportion adapted to seat upon the usual shoulder provided in the mouthreoessand to have a sealing engagement with the wall of said recess anda lip covering portion adapted to over-lie the head or pouring lip thatsurrounds the bottle mouth.

.In bottle caps of theabove mentioned type, the mouth of the bottle isso thoroughly and completely sealed that air or gases are unable toescape from the bottle during the expansion of the contents of thebottle with the result that the cap is either lifted from its sealingposition on the bottle or the bottom of the central or plug portion ofthe cap is forced or warped out of its ,0 original shape so as to bulgeoutwardly and thereby draw the marginal edge of the plug portion of thecap out of pressure contact with the wall of the mouth recesssuiiiciently to permanently destroy the efiective seal originally pro-:5 duced by the cap. I

The main object of this invention is to provide a cap or closure formilk bottles/or the like which will eflicaciously seal the bottle and atthe same time permit the passage of air orgas o from the interior of thebottle when an abnormal plus pressure, that is, a pressure aboveatmosphere. is developed within the bottle as by the expansion of thecontents thereof, without destroying the normal eflective sealingproperties 5 of the cap. c

In carrying out the above mentioned object, I provide the cap with oneor more minute vent passages in the surface thereof adapted tocommunicate with the interior of the bottle and with.

0 the bottle mouth recess exteriorily of the plug portion of the cap. g

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and eflicient meansfor forming the vent passage or passages simultaneously with the formingof the cap and thereby produce such.

caps at no appreciable addition in cost over the cost of conventionallyconstructed caps.

Other objects and advantages will appearirom D the following descriptiontaken in connection with .the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cap embodying the various featuresof this invention as applied to a milk bottle. Figure 2 is a top planview of the cap illustrated in Figure 1 prior to'the applying of saidcap to the bottle. s

Figure 3 is an invertedplan view of the cap shown in Figure 2.

Figure-i is a fragmentary inverted plan view of the cap shown in Figure1 illustrating the same on an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially inthe plane of the line 5-5, Fi ure 2.

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the cap appliedto a bottle and taken substantially in the plane of the line 8-4, Figure4.

Figure 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the cap appliedto a bottle and taken substantially in the plane of the line 1-1, Fig--ure 4.

Figure 8 is a detail transverse sectional view of a pair of disks fromwhich my novel cap is formed, together with adjacent end portions ofcooperating die members for effecting the formation of the cap, said diemembers being shown in cooperative relation just prior to operativelyengaging the cap disks.

Figure 9 is a sectional view similar to Figure 8 illustrating the diemembers in an intermediate position. v

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 8 illustrating the die members inposition for producing a further step in the method of forming the cap.t

Figure 11 is a detail transverse sectional view of a portion of the capas formed bythe dies when in the position shown in-Flgure 9.

a Figure 12 is a view similar'to Figure 11 illustrating a portion of thecap as formed when the dies are in the position illustrated in Figure10.

The bottle as II is of the conventional construction for containingmilk, cream or the like and comprises a circular bore or recess II atthe upper end defining the mouth of the bottle, an outwardly extendingbead or pouring lip I2 contiguous said recess and a contracted orreduced neck portion l3 below'the bead. The recess or bore. II isprovided with the usual inwardly extending shoulder ll spaced somedistance from the upper or outer end surface of the bead l2 and which isadapted to provide a seat for the central or plug portion of the cap tolimit the inward axial movement of the cap and also to cooperate withsaid cap portion to effectively seal the bottle.

The bott e cap of this invention, as perhaps more clearly illustrated inFigures 1 and 5, comprises acentral substantially'cup-shaped or plugportion l6 and a marginal flange or lip covering portion [1. The centralor plug portion I6 of the cap includes a body member It in the form ofasubstantially circular disk on which rests a reenforcing disk IS. Theedge of the body portion I8 is folded inwardly toform an annular flange2|! overlying theedge of the disk l9 and is then return bent or foldedoutwardly upon itself to form the flange 2i, thus providing what may betermed an annular bellows-fold 22 overlying the reenforcing disk 19 andmaintaining it in its position with respect to the body portion l8. 1

I The lip covering portion l1 comprises an annular extension 23 madeintegral with the fold 2| and which may be molded along arcuate orcurved lines so as to fit tightly over and upon the upper surface of thebottle bead l2. The distance between the lower surface of the extension23 and the body portion l8 in the formed cap is substantially less thanthe distance between the shoulder l4 and the upper surface of the beadl2. The extension 23 is provided with an annular flange 24 extendingsubstantially axially with respect to the body portion l8 and spacedfrom the edge thereof a distance slightly less than the thickness of thebottle bead l2. The inner vertical wall of the cup-shaped portion I6 isprovided with a plurality ,of, in this instance, six ribsor beads 25,which extend from nearthe upper surface of the reinforcing disk l9upwardly along said inner wall toward the lip covering portion l'l.

In the application of this cap to a bottle as II! it will be apparentthat the inner surface of the extension 23 will engage the upper surfaceof the bead l2 before the body portion l8 seats on the shoulder l4.However, tight contact of the body portion It with the shoulder M ispermitted by pressing the body portion l8 downwardly with the extension23 in contact .with the upper edge of the bead l2 thereby opening thebellows fold 22 sufli'ciently to permit tight seating of the bodyportion l8 with the wall of the recess II and upon the shoulder M.

It will thus be understood that by forcing the body portion l8downwardly until it seats upon the shoulder ll the extension 23 remainsat all' times in contact with the upper surface of the bead l2 asillustrated at 26, Figures .6 and'l, and the fold 22 is opened justsufliciently to permit seating of the body portion IS on the shoulder l4so as to maintain tight contact between the lower and peripheral edgesurfaces of the body l8 and the shoulder l4 and adjacent wall of therecess II respectively. In other words, the use of the bellows fold 22permits the bottle to act as a measuring factor in-determining theextent of opening of the bellows fold, while said bellows fold functionsto maintain the extension 23 in tight contact with the upper surface ofthe bead l2 at all times.

In the finished cap as illustrated in Figure 5, the axial flange 24terminates at its lower edge in substantially the plane of the body Itso that when the cap -is applied to a bottle head said flange willclosely contact with the outer peripheral surface of the bead l2 as at21, Figures 6 and 7.

The cap is preferably molded from paper board of proper moisture contentwhich has been passed through a molten paraflin bath, the molding beingof-such a nature that the marginal flange portion I1 is of substantiallyuniform body portion I8 'is substantially thickness throughout and hassmooth and continuous interior and exterior surfaces.

The cap thus far described is of the general construction illustrated in'my Patent No. 2,195,379 issued March 26, 1940. It will be apparentthat,inasmuch as the diameter of the equal to the diameter of the recess II,when the cap is'applied to the bottle and the body portion It broughtinto contact with the shoulder ll the marginal edge of the body portionwill tightly engage the adjacent portion of the peripheral wall of therecess H and thereby not only securely maintain the cap in its operativeposition on the bottle but also provide a fluid-tight seal forpreventingthe passage between said body portion and the'bottle of either liquid or.air. In addition to the sealing action of the body l8 thus mentioned,

it will be noted that the extension H by tightly engaging the surface ofthe bead l2 at the points 26 and 21 provides further means by which airor liquid is prevented from escaping from the interior of the bottles Itwill thus be seen that the cap structure thus far described not onlyeffectively covers thev bead of the bottle and prevents contamination ofthe mouth'of the bottle and the entry of any foreign substance into thebottle, but also provides a proportionately large amount of smoothgripping surfaces on the cap for tight frictional engagement with thebottle when the cap is applied thereto so that the mouth of the bottleis so thoroughly sealed, and the cap is so securely connected to thebottle that when an abnormal pressure is produced within the bottle asby'the expansion of the contents thereof, the cap is either liftedbodily from itsclosu're position on the bottle or the iiat central orbody portion I! of the cap will be warped or bulged out of normalposition by the excessive pressure before the seal between the cap andbottle is suihciently broken to release said pressure by the passage ofair between the cap and bottle. I

Such flexing of the cap body It permanently destroys the effectivesealing qualities of the cap due-to the body after having once beendeflected not returning to or remaining in its normal position and inorder to overcome this defect in caps of the above described structurethe cap is provided with simple effective means comprising thisinvention whereby the cap will function to effectively produce aliquid-tight seal and at the same The novel improvement in bottle capstructure comprising this invention consists as shown more clearly inFigures 4, 5 and 6, in providing the outer vertical edge I! of the bodyportion l8 with a plurality of, in this instance, six anally disposedindentations or recesses 30 arranged in substantially uniformcircumferential spaced relation. These identations or recesses 32 extendfrom the bottom surface of the ll upwardly to at least the upper surfaceof the mar.- ginal edge It and are very minute in size, being only a fewthousandths of an inch in depth.

The body I3 is also provided with a multiplicity of radially disposedindentations or recesses 3| which have the outer ends thereofterminating in slightly spaced relation to the peripheral edge l8 of thebody portion and also of the axially disposed rec 3| which produce in amanner presently descri d at the junction of registeringvertical andradial recesses axially disposed pendant ribs or beads 32 of less depththan the recesses 3|. These indentations or recesses ii are arranged insubstantially uniform circumferential spaced relation about the disk orbody- I! and are so spaced apart in relation to the spacms of theaxially disposed recesses 30 that when they are formed as by diepressure in the lower surface of the body i8 one or'more of the radialindentations and axial indentations will be in registration with eachother as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Theseradially disposed recesses orindentations 3| extend inwardly from the marginal edge of the body I! adistance suiiicient that when the cap is applied to the bottle, theinner end portions of the recesses will extend beyond the shoulder i4into communication with the interior of the bottle.

It will thus be noted thatwhen the cap is applied to the bottle thoseradial recesses Ii in registration with the axial recesses 30' willcooperate with said axial recesses in forming a continuous vent passageas 33, Figure 6, from the interior of the bottle to the recess i I abovethe body it. Each of these vent passages is so restricted my the beadsor ribs 32 that while a liquid will be prevented from passingtherethrough, air or gas above atmospheric pressure within the bottlemay escape into the recess Ii and will then be forced iutwardly betweenthe marginal flange portion ll of the cap and the bead l2 and therebyrelieve the excess pressure in the bottle and at the same ;ime theliquid contained in the bottle will be )reserved and foreign matter willbe prevented from passing inwardly through the vents 13 owing ;o therelatively small area of these vents and to ;he engagement of themarginal flange II with :he head I: as at points ifigahd 2.1.

In other words, although there are a multi- )licity of radially disposedrecesses or .indentaionsji provided in the bottom surface of the iodyit, all of these recesses terminate in slightly ipaced relation to themarginal flange II" of the.

iody l8 as clearly illustrated in Figures 4 and 'i p that said recessesare not in direct communi- :ation with the recess ii ofthe bottle andonly hose recesses 3i in communication" with the lxially disposedrecesses 30 cooperate with said lxially disposed recesses to provideminute vent massages 33 from the interior of the bottle around said bodyportion l8 to the recess i l and although he can of this constructionpermits air or gas to scape from the bottle under pressure. it doesirovide an effective liquid-tight seal which pre- 'ents the passage ofliquid from the bottle except when an excessive pressure is'produced inthe iottle as from over-expansion of the liquid conents thereof. owingto the relatively greater de- :ree of viscosity of the liquid.

The manner of constructing my improved cap .bove described is very muchthe same as that lescribed in Weeks and Pease Patent No. 575,300, issuedMarch 2, 1926, and comprises cwer and upper sectional die members 35 and36 espectively. The lower die member 35 is comosed of a centrallydisposed plunger II, an outer ubular member or sleeve 38 and a secondtubular member or sleeve 40 positioned intermediate the leeve 39 andplunger 88, The upper die memer 3 is composed of a centrally disposedplunger 2, an outer sleeve or tubular member 43 and'an ntermediatesleeve or tubular member 44 aranged in co-axial relation with thecorresponding elements 38, ll and II oi the lower die member ll. Thesedie members ll and are normally spaced apart for receiving therebetweensuitable cap blanks or disks asll" and il from which the cap is formedand which may be arranged in co-axial relation with said die members byhand or automatically by any suitable mechanism not shown, and thesemembers may be moved relatively toward and from each other to effect theformation of the cap by any suitable means not believed necessary toillustrate or further describe in connection with the instantapplication inasmuch as it forms no part of the l invention thereof.

The plunger 8. of the lower die member 3! is, as shown in this instance,a cylindrical member having a smooth peripheral surface and is of;

slightly less diameter than the body portion ll of the cap. The upperend surface of the plunger 88 is provided-with a multiplicity ofradially disposed circumferentially spaced ribs or corrugations 46corresponding in number to the radially disposed recesses orindentations it formed in the lower face of the body portion ll of thecap. These ribs or corrugations 4| extend from within a short distanceof .the peripheral edge of the plungeninwardly and are tapered from theouter ends thereof, which are only a few thousandths of an inch inheighth, to the inner end where they blend with the adjacent surface ofthe plunger.

The intermediate die section or sleeve 40 has an exterior diametersubstantially equal to the ll is provided with a plurality oi, in thisinstance, six axially disposed ribs or corrugations 48. These ribs arearranged in circumferential spaced relation to conform with thearrangement of the indentations or recesses ll in the cap and extendaxially of the sleeve from the upper curved end 41 thereof downwardlyintermediate the sleeve and the plunger 3!. The outer die section 39 hasa close sliding fit on the intermediate section I, while the exteriordiameter thereof is substantially equal to the diameter of the largerdisk l8". g

In operation these die sections 38, 3! and 40 are slidably mounted oneupon the other so as to have'the necessary relative axial movement toeflect the desired formation of the cap blank.

The pper die member 36 has the central plunger 2 thereof arrangedco-axially with the plunger 38 and said plunger is of substantially thesame exterior diameter as the cap disk ll, while the lower end thereofis substantially flat and smooth and arranged at substantially rightangles to the axis thereof. The central plunger 42 is provided with sixvertical grooves 4! equally spaced around its periphery. 7 1

The intermediate die section or sleeve 44 has terior diameter of thismember is slightlyigreater than that of the companion die section in thelower die member and substantially equal to the exterior diameter of theflange 24 of the cap. The lower end ll of this die section 44. isconcave in cross section to correspond to the curvature of the extensionI! of the cap. The outer sleeve or die section 43 has a close slidingflt a close sliding fit on the plunger 42 and the exon the intermediatesection 44 while the exterior diameter thereof is substantially equal tothat of the companion die section 39 and of the large disk i8". Insofaras the outer die sections 39 and 43 pertain to this invention, theiradjacent end surfaces may be smooth and continuous or Y may be providedwith corrugations or teeth sections for effecting a similar corrugationof the peripheral or marginal edge portion of the larger cap disk l8". Vr In operation it will be observed that when the disks l8" and i9 arearranged between the die members 35 and 36 in co-axial relationtherewith as illustrated in Figure 8, that by producing a slightrelative movement of the die sections 43 and 44 toward the companion diesections 39 and 40 to the position shown in Figure 9, said die sectionswill cooperate with the companion die sections 39 and 40 for maintainingthe marginal edge of the larger cap disk l8" against being distortedduring the relative axial movement of the central portion of said capblank to form the central cup-shaped portion l6 of the cap. This centralcup-shaped portion of the cap is then formed by moving the upper die'section or plunger 42 downwardly towardthe lower dlie section 38 to theposition illustrated in Figure 9.' While the cup-shaped portion i6 isthus being formed, part of the material I the vertical groove 49,thereby forming the ribs or beads 25 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

' As the plunger 42 is thus moved downwardly, it will be observed thatthe marginal wall l8 of the cup portion will be pressed into engagementwith the axially disposed beads or ribs 48 in the lower die section 40simultaneously with the forming of the cup-shaped portion or the cap andthereby produce the axially disposed indentations or recesses 38 in theouter peripheral surface of said cup-shaped portion. As the upper dieplunger 42 approaches the position illustrated in- Figure 9 where thebottom-surface of the body portion l8 of the. cap is in close proximityto the radially disposed ribs 46 in the lower plunger 36, additionalpressure is applied to the upper die sections whereby the intermediatesection 44 is brought into tight gripping contact with the adjacenttransverse portion of the cap for firmly holding the same upon the lowerintermediate die section 48 while the outer die section 43 'and the.lower die section 39 are moved downwardly relatively to the intermediatesections 44 and 48 for wrapping the marginal portion of the larger capblank l8" about the outer surface of the die section 48 to form theflange 24 of the cap as illustrated in Figure 10. During this relativeaxial movement or the sleeve sections of the die members, the upperplunger section 42 is forced toward the lower plunger section 38 foriirmly pressing the body portion l8 ofthe cap against said lower plunger38 and the ribsformed thereon to thereby produce the radially disposedrecesses or indentations 3| of the cap as illustrated in Figure 10.

It will thus be seen that while the groups ofrecesses or identations 38and 3| are successively formed, they are at the same time formedsimultaneously with the forming of the cap and without any appreciableadditional cost or' labor. Further, it will be noted that inasmuch asthe outer ends of the radially dispo ribs 46 are spaced inwardly aslight distance beyond the inner edge of the axially disposed ribs 48,the

radially disposed recesses or indentations will be spaced inwardly avcorresponding distance from of its vertical wall flows into the axiallydisposed recesses or indentations 38. However, inasmuch as the axiallydisposed indentations are formed first and the spacing of the radiallydisposed ribs 46 from the axially disposed ribs 48 is very slight, thecap material positioned intermediate the aligned ribs 46 and 48 will bedrawn inwardly as the radially disposed ribs 46 are pressed into thesurface of the cap blank and thereby produce the rib 32 at the junctionof the radially and axially disposed aligned recesses, and inasmuch asthese rib portions are not engaged directly by the radially disposedribs 46, it is ob 'ous that these ribs will be spaced a less distancefrom the lower surface of the body portion 18 than the bottom of therescesses 3| and hereby produce pendant ribs which restrict the passageformed by the aligned axially and radially disposed recesses, and thusproduce minute vent passages leading from the central portion of thebody l8 outwardly and along the peripheral edge i8 thereof.

Although the construction and operation of the cap shown and describedare particularly simple, practical and efllcient, it is evident thatcertain changes may be made in the detailed construction thereof and themanner of producing the same without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A bottle closure comprising a body portion adapted to tightly fit therecess in abottle mouth to form a liqui a ing provided with a minutevent in the exterior surface thereof in communication with the interiorof the bottle adapted to permit the passage therethrough of a lessviscous fluid than the liquid when an abnormal pressure is presentwithin the bottle.

2. A closure for a bottle having a mouth recess and a shoulder in saidrecess, comprising a paper disk having a body portion adapted to tightlyfit the recess when seated on said shoulder to form a liquid-tight seal,said disk being provided with a minute vent in the exterior surfacethereof contiguous said shoulder and the wall of the recess incommunication with the interior of the bottle adapted to permit thepassage therethrough of ,a less viscous fluid than the liquid when anabnormal pressure is present within the bottle. v v

3. A bottle closure comprising a paper disk having a body portionadapted to tightly it the recess in a bottle mouth to form a fluid-tightseal and an annular flange portion integral with the body portionadapted to contact with the upper edge of thebottle, and to cooperatewith the body portion to maintain said fluid-tight seal when a normalpressure is present in the bottle, said disk being provided with aminute vent in the exterior surface of said body portion only forconnecting the interior of the bottle with the mouth recess adjacent'theflange portion of the cap to permit the passage of air therethrough whenan abnormal pressure is present within the I form a minute vent adaptedto permit the posd-tight seal, said body portion beaaaasai positionbeyond the bottle shoulder, said axial and radial indentations being sospaced circumferentially relative to each other that at least one of theaxial and one of the radial indentations will be in communication witheach other-to form a continuous vent passage from the bottom across themarginal edge of said body.

6. A closure for a. bottle having a mouth recess and a shoulder in saidrecess comprising'a body portion adapted to tightly flt the recess whenseated'on said shoulder to form a liquid-tight seal, said body portionhaving anaxially disposed channel in the surfacethereof adjacent thewall of the bottle recess and a radially disposed channel adjacent theshoulder in said bottle recess arranged in substantial alignment withthe vertically disposed channel, said channels having their adjacentends slightly spaced from each other and a relativelyshallow-indentation con-' necting said ends of the channels to form anair vent between said body portion of the cap and adjacent surface ofthe bottle, and restricting means in said vent for determining the sizethereof. I v

7. A bottle closure comprising a body portion adapted to tightly flt therecess in a bottle mouth to form a liquid-tight seal, said body portionbeing provided with an air passage in the surface thereof contiguous theadjacent portion of the bottle mouth, composed of two spaced relativelydeep portions connected by a'relatively shallow portion, said latterportion'forming a restricting nlileans in said passage for determiningthe size t ereof.

8. A relatively rigid preformed bottle cap comprising a discoidalportion, a cylindrical wall portion extending upwardly from theperiphery of 50 said discoidal portion and terminating in an outwardlyflaring flange overlying and encircling the top portion-of the bottle,said vertical wall portion being adapted to snugly engage the bore ofthe bottle mouth to retain the cap on the bottle, and being providedwith a passage to permit the escape of liquid between the periphery ofsaid.

wall portion and the bore of the bottle mouth without afiectingretention of the cap on the bottle, said outwardly flaring flangenormally engaging the top portion of the bottlein leakproof relationshipand being yieldable to permit the escape of liquid under pressure fromsaid passage.

9. A relativelyrigid preformed bottle cap comprising a discoidalportion, a cylindrical wall portion extending from the periphery of saiddiscoidal portion and terminatingsin an outwardly flaring flange.- saidvertical wall portion being adapted to be pressed into the bore oi-thebottle mouth'and to snugly engage the same to retain the cap on thebottle, said wall being provided with a plurality of grooves arranged incircumferentially spaced apart relationship and extending lengthwise ofsaid wall to, permit the escape of liquid between. the periphery of saidwall portion and the bore of the bottle mouth without aflectingretention of the cap on the bottle, said outwardly flaring flangeportion extending over the top portion of the bottle and engaging thesame in leak-proof relationship and being yieldable to permit the escapeof liquid under pressure from said passage.

10. A relatively rigid preformed bottle cap comprising a disqoidalportion, a cylindrical wall portion extending upwardly from theperiphery of the discoidal portion and forming the inner wall of aflangesubstantially U-shaped in cross section, said flange being adaptedto overlie the top edge of the bottle with the outer wall of the Iflange encircling and yieldingly engaging the top portion of the bottle,said inner cylindrical wall portion being adapted to snugly engage thebore of the bottle mouth to retain the cap on the bottle and beingformed with a plurality of grooves eirtending lengthwise in the outersurface thereof adjacent the bore of the bottle mouth, said flangeengaging the bottle top in leak-proof relation ship and being operableto permit the escape 'of liquid, when under pressure, through saidgrooves without afl'ecting said leak-proof relationship.

' JOHN G. KEMPE.

